Hi. I have a 1994 Accord EX 5spd with the oddest charging problem.

A year ago I was driving and the clock dimmed, then the gauges went crazy, and the blinker ticked. Later the car would not start. The car had a Sears battery which was replaced under warranty, and it died the next day. I brought it back to test the alternator and they said it was fine, and gave me another new battery. Same thing happened again. Another alternator test, another new battery. Same thing again! Even though they said my alternator was OK I got a new alternator put in. The car ran fine for a about a year, with the occasional battery light flicker at high rpm. A few weeks ago, same electrical symptoms - gauges, clock, blinker. I parked the car, and let it sit for a few hours. It started (barely) and ran perfectly fine for a week. Driving home in the rain last week all electrical died except for ignition, which went out after an hour. Jump start did not help. I had it towed to a Honda specialist. After a jump start the next day the car ran perfectly! Alternator tested, looked fine. He could not diagnose a problem that did not appear. He did say the positive battery cable looked bad and replaced that. Now the car runs fine, but the battery light flickers at high (4K+) rpm. No squealing from the alternator belt, no glaze on the belt to indicate slipping.

The ECU controls the output from the alternator on these cars right?

Any help?


Modified by SDHonda at 11:54 AM 1/14/2008


Modified by SDHonda at 11:57 AM 1/14/2008

 

That's a really wierd problem. If you say the alternator and battery are new then obviously it can't be those. Also, you say the belt isn't slipping or cracked? I was thinking maybe the voltage regulator could be bad, but IIRC it's build into the alternator. The only other thing I could think of would be maybe a bad ground on the battery. Have you by chance checked the ground wires to make sure they aren't corroded or loose?

 

I have exactly the same problem that you described except that my Honda is a 1990 Accord LX. My battery would die repeatly. I replaced the battery. That did not help. Then I personally replaced the alternator. That did not help. That's why I am online trying to find other people that may have experienced the same thing and found a solution. Right now, I have to resort to removing the battery and charging it at home every time it dies. A fully charged battery will allow me to drive for about 75 minutes. After that, the battery dies. Then I have to remove the battery and charge it at home.

If it's not the battery and it's not the alternator, I don't know what it could be. This is driving me nuts.

 

I have a dodge truck that used to do that, although not the same kind of vehicle it has the same electrical setup. I had a bad battery ground. it could be that or check your 12v wires and make sure there is not internal corrosion you will have to cut a bit of the insulation of it the corrosion hasn't already split the insulation off, the corrosion will occur close to an open end of the wiring, like alternator, starter, battery, or ECU and make sure to check all grounds